Alabama's opener against Kent State could help healing in Tuscaloosa

View full sizeA crew paints a houndstooth ribbon on the football field of Bryant-Denny Stadium in remembrance of the victims and damage the tornadoes caused that ripped through Tuscaloosa last spring. Preparations are underway for the first football game of the season against Kent State at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday, Sept. 2, 2011. (The Birmingham News / Michelle Campbell)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - The last time automobiles inched bumper-to-bumper along McFarland Boulevard, Alabama was not playing football.

The almost weekly traffic jam in the fall is an indicator - the Crimson Tide is about to kickoff.

RVs with Alabama flags again rolled across these streets Friday afternoon as fans began to fill the city.

Most are here to cheer another promising season for the second-ranked Tide. Today is the season opener against Kent State, Nick Saban's alma mater.

The days following April 27 and the tornado that plowed through neighborhoods just south of campus - one of many tornadoes across the South that day - attracted people from across the country. There were volunteers, curiosity seekers, celebrities, reporters, even President Barack Obama toured the damage.

There were countless searches for the missing. Cadaver dogs tip-toed through seemingly endless debris, nosing through the rubble. Families literally picked through the pieces of what had been their homes. They looked for clothing, photographs and prized possessions.

When fans converge on Tuscaloosa this morning they can easily find signs of the EF4 monster that haunts the dreams of many to this day. Cars still move through the community with windows blown out since that historic afternoon. Gutted homes still stand as they did after Mother Nature's violence, though many have been demolished and some rebuilding has begun.

"I think it still shocks me every time you drive on 15th Street," Tide junior Barrett Jones said. "That's what always gets me every time I drive by there, I'm still a little surprised by it. I guess I should be used to it by now, and at some point I am. I think this is something we don't need to forget about. ... I think a lot of guys are excited about the game this Saturday and just getting our city back together. We kind of felt like that's when our city is all in one place on game days."

There will be symbols throughout Bryant-Denny Stadium showing Alabama's support to a community that idolizes its football program.

Houndstooth ribbons - symbolizing recovery from the tornado - will be painted on the field. Saban said players will wear similar ribbons on their helmets.

There will be a pregame salute to first responders on April 27, and likely other gestures throughout the day.

Of course, there will be a constant national attention as visitors retell the story through websites and television reports.

"We're very excited to open the season for a lot of different reasons," Saban said. ".$?.$?. Also, for the sake of our community from the standpoint of giving people, from a spiritual standpoint, something else to think about, something else to be passionate about, something else to create hope about. Also to continue to create awareness for the community that a lot of people are going to come to the game and see Tuscaloosa for the first time. Maybe that will inspire some people to continue to try to help rebuild our community."

Throughout the game, fans will be looking for answers about Alabama's highly hyped quarterback competition between AJ McCarron and Phillips Sims.

They will look at offensive left tackle where Jones will start, and true freshman Cyrus Kouandjio will try to win the job. Some will be reminded of another tragedy, the unexpected death of Aaron Douglas, who was competing for the spot in the spring.

Fans are anticipating a tuneup for next week's trip to Penn State. Alabama is favored by more than 30 points, and the defense has been compared to some of the Tide's best.

At the end of the day, what arguably will be most significant in retrospect is how this game helped with the next step in rebuilding lives.

Many look for hope in various ways. In Alabama, they look to a football game as a way to endure.

"We do feel somewhat of a responsibility and excitement just to get back on the field and to kind of bring this city back together," Jones said. "That's when probably the most people from the city are in one place is on game day. So were excited about getting back together and hopefully passing out some smiles."